It's axiomatic in baseball that the best way to attack a lineup is to pitch from the same side that most of the batters hit from.Likewise, when a team is at bat and wants to get an advantage, it uses a pinch hitter who hits from the opposite side.
This forces the other team to either risk giving up a hit or go to its bullpen.
Then there's the ultimate weapon - Creighton University's Pat Venditte, who can, and does, pitch with either arm. And do so effectively. Here's a story from the NYT about this most unusual player.
The pitch was nothing remarkable: Pat Venditte, Creighton University’s temporarily right-handed pitcher, threw a fastball past a Northern Iowa batter for a called strike three. It was his next windup that evinced this young pitcher’s uniqueness and, perhaps, professional future.
As his teammates whipped the ball around the infield, Venditte smoothly, unthinkingly, removed his custom glove from his left hand and slipped it on his right. Moments later he leaned back, threw a strike left-handed to the next batter, and finished the side in order.
Apparently there's interest from some professional teams in Venditte. And why not? As the game increasingly relies on bullpen specialists who take up a valuable roster spot (and a couple million of payroll) for the sole purpose of pitching to one batter a few times a week, Venditte could become a special weapon the only response to which would be sending up a switch hitter - assuming one's available. We hope, at the very least, he's taken in June's amateur draft and gets his shot at The Show.
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